Unstoppable Haaland spearheads Premier League team of the week dominated by Man City
As both players shared the match ball on Sunday afternoon, both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden make the best XI after Manchester City’s dominant 6-3 win over rivals Manchester United. There was also room for another perfect 10 after James Maddison’s man of the match display in Monday night’s East Midlands Derby, as Leicester finally got their first win of the season. Players from Leeds, Newcastle, Brentford, Chelsea, Everton, Brighton and Liverpool also feature in the side.
Despite Leeds and Aston Villa playing out quite a heated game, it ended 0-0. This was in part thanks to Illan Meslier, who made a string of top saves (6) during the game to deny a strong Villa attack and secure an 8.36 WhoScored rating.
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) – 7.86
Newcastle recorded an emphatic 4-1 win away from home against Fulham on Saturday, pushing them to within touching distance of the top four. Kieran Trippier continued his brilliant start to the season with another good performance here. As well as Newcastle keeping a clean sheet while he was on the pitch, he himself also registered an impressive 81.4% pass success rate, earning a WhoScored rating of 7.86.
Chelsea left it late on Saturday to secure all three points in their short trip to London rivals Crystal Palace. As well as being a solid figure in the Blues backline, it was his contribution further up the field which earned Thiago Silva a place in the team of the week. As well as claiming the assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s first Premier League goal for Chelsea with a headed pass, Silva also had a shot of his own and completed 116 successful passes, earning himself a WhoScored rating of 7.51.
Ben Mee was a key figure in the backline as Brentford played a 0-0 draw on the road against Bournemouth. In total he made three successful tackles, as well as one interception, to gain himself a WhoScored rating of 7.73.
Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton) – 7.57
Despite a mixed start to the season, Everton currently now boast the best defensive record in the league and even after Joe Aribo’s strike for Southampton on Saturday, they have only conceded seven goals. Part of the reason for this has been Vitaliy Mykolenko’s displays at the back, which continued against the Saints, with a credible five tackles and three interceptions, giving him a WhoScored rating of 7.57.
Phil Foden (Manchester City) – 10.0
One of the focal points for City’s emphatic win was Phil Foden, who opened the scoring in the eighth minute, and by the 73rd had completed a hat-trick, more than doubling his tally for the season. He also reached the 50-goal mark for goals scored under Pep Guardiola, 37 days younger than Lionel Messi had previously achieved. This earned Foden a perfect WhoScored 10 rating.
Leandro Trossard (Brighton) – 8.67
Brighton’s solid start to the season continued at Anfield as they secured a point in a high scoring 3-3 draw. This was mainly spearheaded by the first Premier League hat-trick of the weekend, scored by Leandro Trossard. As well as giving his side a lead in the fourth minute, it was his third strike that will be remembered the most as it secured the point for the Seagulls after going behind 20 minutes earlier. In all, Trossard had four shots, all of which were on target, meaning he was able to earn 8.67 on the WhoScored rating.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 8.55
With two teammates scoring hat-tricks, it may have been hard to stand out, but Kevin De Bruyne still managed to do just that. The Belgian registered a brace of assists, taking his total to eight for the season, and he continued his deadly partnership with Erling Haaland whom he has assisted four times this season, the best assist-to-goalscorer combination in the division. De Bruyne continued to be a menace in and around the area and secured himself an 8.55 WhoScored rating.
James Maddison (Leicester City) – 10.0
It has been a difficult start to the season for Leicester, finding themselves without a win in their opening seven games, but James Maddison chose the perfect time to help kick start their season as they emphatically beat their East Midlands rivals, Nottingham Forest, 4-0, to claim their first victory of the season. Maddison, who has been so key to the Foxes since he joined the club, contributed with an assist and two goals, including a direct free kick, his eighth such goal in his Leicester career, an amount only beaten by James Ward-Prowse and Lionel Messi in the last five seasons. During the game he was also able to create two big chances and maintain a pass success rate rate of 91.5% earning him a perfect WhoScored 10 rating.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – 10.0
It’s getting hard to find many more records for Erling Haaland to break, despite having only made eight Premier League appearances. Contributing to five of City's six goals on Sunday, with a hat-trick and two assists, Haaland finds himself in a league of his own, with more goals than the second and third top scorers in the Premier League combined. He became the first player to score a hat-trick in three successive Premier League home games and the quickest to three Premier League hat-tricks in his eight appearances. For context, second on this list is Michael Owen, after 48 appearances. No prizes for guessing that Haaland deservedly earned a WhoScored 10 rating.
Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) – 8.36
Roberto Firmino continued his impressive start to the season with two goals against Brighton. He also managed a pass success rate of 85.7%, while three of his four shots were on target. The Brazilian now has five goals in six outings, as well as three assists, and for his performance on Saturday, gained an 8.36 WhoScored rating.
